President Trump's First Year: 5 Things We've Learned

WASHINGTON, DC — When Donald Trump squeaked out narrow wins in three crucial states in November 2016, securing him the presidency through the electoral college even as he lost the popular vote, the political class was stunned.

One year on from that historic day, the surprises continue. Here are five developments since President Trump's big win that many may not have expected.

1. He's still tweeting. (Now with 280 characters!)

Trump said he wouldn't keep tweeting — one of his distinctive communication modes during the campaign — if he became president.

"You know, I tweeted today, @realDonaldTrump. I tweet," Trump said in April 2016. "Don’t worry, I’ll give it up after I’m president. We won’t tweet anymore. I don’t know. Not presidential.”

Perhaps it's not too surprising that this is one promise Trump hasn't kept. After all, President Obama tweeted in office, if only formally and through staff.

But the bellicose nature of Trump's tweets comes as a surprise. He's called the leader of North Korea "Rocket Man," undercut Secretary of State Rex Tillerson's diplomatic efforts with the country and pushed for the Department of Justice to go after Hillary Clinton, his former political rival. For those who expected the presidency to temper Trump's rhetoric, his Twitter feed comes as a shock.

2. He has fervently pushed for Medicaid cuts.

Early in the Republican primary, Trump distinguished himself from the mainstream GOP by defending entitlement programs that the party so often deplores: Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security.

“I’m not going to cut Social Security like every other Republican," he said during the campaign, "and I’m not going to cut Medicare or Medicaid.”

But in office, Trump enthusiastically backed multiple Republican health care bills that would have slashed Medicaid spending going forward. And the White House's budget — which reflects the administration's priorities, even though it does not have the force of law — cut disability insurance payments under Social Security.

3. The FBI has put him under the microscope.

Republican critics of Clinton frequently cited the investigation into her email server use in the State Department as one of the key facts disproving her fitness for the presidency. Though some suspicions were raised ahead of the election about the Trump campaign's ties to Russia, it would have been difficult to anticipate how all-consuming the investigation of these issues would become.

Since the president was elected, he fired FBI Director James Comey, who was overseeing an investigation into potential collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia. Multiple members of his campaign and family have been shown to have previously undisclosed ties to the Kremlin.

A DOJ special counsel has now been appointed to oversee the the probe into election interference. Multiple reports even suggest that Trump himself may be under investigation for trying to obstruct the Russia investigation by firing Comey.

4. White House turnover is rapid.

A short list of prominent White House staffers who have resigned or been pushed out includes:

• National Security Advisor Michael Flynn
• Press Secretary Sean Spicer
• Chief of Staff Reince Priebus
• Top strategist Steve Bannon
• Deputy Assistant Sebastian Gorka
• Deputy Chief of Staff Katie Walsh
• Communications Director Anthony Scaramucci
• Communications Director Mike Dubke
• Press Aide Michael Short

Other high-profile terminations in the administration include Comey, former Secretary of Health and Human Services Tom Price and former Acting Attorney General Sally Yates. With less than a year in office, the administration's ability to retain staff has proved tenuous.

In addition to the higher turnover, the administration also struggles with persistent high-level vacancies in important offices, including the State Department and the Department of Education.

5. Obamacare is still the law of the land.

For seven years, the Republican Party promised to "repeal and replace" Obamacare. But with the presidency, both houses of Congress, and the Supreme Court controlled by the GOP or conservative thinkers, the law remains in place.

Given the Republicans' repeated passage of "Obamacare repeal" bills under a Democratic president, voters could reasonably have expected the law would have been ended this year — or at least substantially overhauled. Instead, the Trump administration is tasked this month with reluctantly running Obamacare open enrollment.

And Americans are scrambling in record numbers to sign up for health care coverage under the law, despite a shortened enrollment period and a 90 percent cutback in advertising to let people know Obamacare is still the law of the land, according to published reports.

Watch: On Election Anniversary, Trump Supporters Are Still Hopeful

Top image credits, left to right: photo by Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Image; photo by Elsa/Getty Images; photo by Chung Sung-Jun/Getty Images

Bottom image credits, left to right: photo by Jeon Heon-Kyun - Pool /Getty Images; photo by Ralph Freso/Getty Images; photo by Kevin Dietsch-Pool/Getty Images